The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-03-25

Hunter, so far as discovered. amount to
e194 900, divided as follows:
Mechanics National Bank - GGS
Fourth National Bank ank---------.-....---.kl lOsO
Inird Naconal Bank .------- 0,t00
West Philadelphia National Bank lIM
Independence National bank. ....... Em
All the.compromisiag paper bears the
name Of James Long, President Of the
Union Trust Company. Mr.. Long says
he does not know to how much paper
his name has been forged, but the forg-
ed paper has been estimated as high as
three-fourths of the entire amount. In
addition to the amounts mentioned there
is supposed to be a large amount of pa
per which bears only the firms name.
The rumor that James Hunter took the
steamer for Brazil, yesterday, gained
ground this morning as nothing has
been heard from him since Tuesday.
where he left the city direct for New
York
There is naturally great anxiety
among the business men with whom
James and John Hunter had dealings to
know whether or not their names had
been used after the manner that Longs
had, and time only can bring out this
fact There is said to he quite a large
amount of the firms own notes in exis-
tence, and there is a prevailing opinion
that John Hunter has been involved in
complete financial ruin by his brothers
misdoings.
Since John Hunter became Receiver
of Taxes, several years ago, he has de
voted his whole time to- the duties of that
office, leaving the business entirely in
the hands of his brother. President
Rommel, of the Mechanics National
Bank, said to day that his bank had
notes of James and John Hunter, bear
ing Longs name, to an aggregate of
about 81, 900, but that Mr. Long had as
yet been unable to decide which of these
notes bore true, and which forged sigma
lures.
''All he could tell Us at present was
that he had memoranda in his bill-book
of all the Hunter paper he was on. OF
course, we don't know how many of the
notes we hold are good. James Long is.
of course, all right, and is secured by a
mortgage of 100000. We knew the
firm was in want of money, but had no
idea of this terrible thing until yesterday.
l was greatly surprised. The Hunters
have banked with US for thirty-five years
l don't know whether James Hunter
was sane or not, but l am pretty sure he
will commit suicide. l don't think he
has the moral courage to come back
and face the music. If the firm were in
trouble why didn't they let their friends
know it: They have scores of sound
friends who would have been glad to
help them out honorably-
A friend of James Hunter, who knows
him intimately, says he does not be-
lieve the man had more than go or $50
when he left the city. The theory is that
when certain notes matured, James
Hunter first resorted to the desperate
scheme of forging James Longs sigma
ture. This was kept up, it is supposed,
for years, one forged note being used to
lift another at successive dates at ma
turity.
The appraisement of the property Of
James and John Hunter has not been
commenced vet. and it will be days
before the full value of the assets is
known. A mere guess at the visible as
sets and liabilities has been made as
follows:
AssETs-Wynne Woodfarm, 500 600;
Conestoga Mills, 100000; Norristown
Mills. 81, 700; John Hunters residence,
s,OOO;OOO; James Hunters residence.
$25, total, $3s3, 900.
LIABH.ITIEs-Notes upon which suit
has been begun-$156, 100, paper taken up
out of the Merchants Bank. $50 900;
paper taken out of the Keystone National
Bank. $4,000; two mortgages on the
Conestoga Mills, $1O0, 900: Mortgage on
the Norristown Mills, ZOO; mortgage
held by John Mcguire, 80. 900: total,
S1I6 1pO